UBIA History

Angus bull in straw

In the early 1970's a progressive group of purebred cattle producers approached Utah State University Extension with the idea of forming a beef improvement association to promote the use of improved genetics in Utah's commercial cattle herds.  Over the next few years, the Utah Beef Improvement Association came into being.

In 1972 the first central bull test began with the solicitation of purebred bulls of all breeds from throughout the state.  It was tough sailing in those early years, with the organizing members even sending heifers to be developed when bull numbers wouldn't warrant feeding by themselves.  From those meager beginnings has developed the premier all-breeds bull test in the Intermountain West.  In 2007, over 250 bulls representing seven beef breeds were enrolled by nearly 50 seedstock operations from Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Nevada, and Wyoming in the Utah Beef Improvement Association All-Breeds Performance Bull Test.

Through the ensuing years since 1972, The Association has refined its mission into three vital components...
-   Promote the genetic improvement of beef cattle in the Intermountain states.
-   Sponsor an annual bull performance test to collect performance data for making
within breed comparisons.
-   Encourage commercial cattle producers to use performance data when selecting breeding stock.

In addition to sponsoring the Utah central bull test, the UBIA has sought to fulfill this three-fold mission by co-sponsoring other educational events for cattlemen such as the Utah Ranch-to-Rail program, the Utah Beef Cattle Field Days and the AZ/UT Range Livestock Workshops.  By co-sponsoring these events the Association was able to expose Utah beef producers to nationally-recognized experts to help make them more profitable and better able to meet the ever-changing needs of an expanding global beef market.

If you want to become a part of a vibrant, forward-thinking beef organization, contact C. Kim Chapman, USU Extension Animal Scientist and Executive Secretary of the UBIA to find out how you can become involved.  He can be reached via e-mail at kim.chapman@usu.edu or via phone at 435-893-0474.